Volkswagen Beetle Engines by Year

Volkswagen sold the air-cooled Beetle in the US from 1949. The sedan, including the Super Beetle, left after 1977 and the convertible after 1979. Every engine was an air-cooled flat four in the back; ratings are the US figures, SAE gross until 1972 and net from 1973. The water-cooled New Beetle of 1998 on is a different car.

Pick a year to see every engine offered that model year, with its code, rated horsepower and the trims it came in. Each engine links to its full specs.

Jump to a year

1949–1953: 1949 · 1950 · 1951 · 1952 · 1953

1954–1960: 1954 · 1955 · 1956 · 1957 · 1958 · 1959 · 1960

1961–1965: 1961 · 1962 · 1963 · 1964 · 1965

1966–1979: 1966 · 1967 · 1968 · 1969 · 1970 · 1971 · 1972 · 1973 · 1974 · 1975 · 1976 · 1977 · 1978 · 1979

1949–1953

The 1131 cc flat four.

1949 Beetle engines

Engine	Rated	Offered in
1.1L / 69 flat-four 1100	30 hp gross	Sedan (Standard / Export-DeLuxe), Convertible (Karmann)

1950 Beetle engines

Engine	Rated	Offered in
1.1L / 69 flat-four 1100	30 hp gross	Sedan (Standard / Export-DeLuxe), Convertible (Karmann)

1951 Beetle engines

Engine	Rated	Offered in
1.1L / 69 flat-four 1100	30 hp gross	Sedan (Standard / Export-DeLuxe), Convertible (Karmann)

1952 Beetle engines

Engine	Rated	Offered in
1.1L / 69 flat-four 1100	30 hp gross	Sedan (Standard / Export-DeLuxe), Convertible (Karmann)

1953 Beetle engines

Engine	Rated	Offered in
1.1L / 69 flat-four 1100	30 hp gross	Sedan (Standard / Export-DeLuxe), Convertible (Karmann)

1954–1960

The 1192 cc 1200.

1954 Beetle engines

Engine	Rated	Offered in
1.2L / 73 flat-four 1200	36 hp gross	Sedan (Standard / Export-DeLuxe), Convertible (Karmann)

1955 Beetle engines

Engine	Rated	Offered in
1.2L / 73 flat-four 1200	36 hp gross	Sedan (Standard / Export-DeLuxe), Convertible (Karmann)

1956 Beetle engines

Engine	Rated	Offered in
1.2L / 73 flat-four 1200	36 hp gross	Sedan (Standard / Export-DeLuxe), Convertible (Karmann)

1957 Beetle engines

Engine	Rated	Offered in
1.2L / 73 flat-four 1200	36 hp gross	Sedan (Standard / Export-DeLuxe), Convertible (Karmann)

1958 Beetle engines

Engine	Rated	Offered in
1.2L / 73 flat-four 1200	36 hp gross	Sedan (Standard / Export-DeLuxe), Convertible (Karmann)

1959 Beetle engines

Engine	Rated	Offered in
1.2L / 73 flat-four 1200	36 hp gross	Sedan (Standard / Export-DeLuxe), Convertible (Karmann)

1960 Beetle engines

Engine	Rated	Offered in
1.2L / 73 flat-four 1200	36 hp gross	Sedan (Standard / Export-DeLuxe), Convertible (Karmann)

1961–1965

The 1200, uprated for 1961.

1961 Beetle engines

Engine	Rated	Offered in
1.2L / 73 flat-four 1200	40 hp gross	Sedan, Sunroof Sedan, Convertible

1962 Beetle engines

Engine	Rated	Offered in
1.2L / 73 flat-four 1200	40 hp gross	Sedan, Sunroof Sedan, Convertible

1963 Beetle engines

Engine	Rated	Offered in
1.2L / 73 flat-four 1200	40 hp gross	Sedan, Sunroof Sedan, Convertible

1964 Beetle engines

Engine	Rated	Offered in
1.2L / 73 flat-four 1200	40 hp gross	Sedan, Sunroof Sedan, Convertible

1965 Beetle engines

Engine	Rated	Offered in
1.2L / 73 flat-four 1200	—	Sedan, Sunroof Sedan, Convertible

1966–1979

The 1300, then the 1500 and 1600, with fuel injection from 1975.

1966 Beetle engines

Engine	Rated	Offered in
1.3L / 78 flat-four 1300	50 hp gross	1300 Sedan, Sunroof Sedan, Convertible

1967 Beetle engines

Engine	Rated	Offered in
1.5L / 91 flat-four 1500	53 hp gross	Sedan, Sunroof Sedan, Convertible

1968 Beetle engines

Engine	Rated	Offered in
1.5L / 91 flat-four 1500	53 hp gross	Sedan, Sunroof Sedan, Convertible

1969 Beetle engines

Engine	Rated	Offered in
1.5L / 91 flat-four 1500	53 hp gross	Sedan, Sunroof Sedan, Convertible

1970 Beetle engines

Engine	Rated	Offered in
1.6L / 97 flat-four 1600	57 hp gross	Sedan, Sunroof Sedan, Convertible

1971 Beetle engines

Engine	Rated	Offered in
1.6L / 97 flat-four 1600	60 hp gross	Beetle Sedan, Super Beetle Sedan, Convertible (Super Beetle-based)

1972 Beetle engines

Engine	Rated	Offered in
1.6L / 97 flat-four 1600	60 hp gross	Beetle Sedan, Super Beetle Sedan, Convertible (Super Beetle-based)

1973 Beetle engines

Engine	Rated	Offered in
1.6L / 97 flat-four 1600	46 hp net	Beetle Sedan, Super Beetle Sedan (curved windshield from 1973), Convertible (Super Beetle-based), US special editions (Sports Bug, Sun Bug, La Grande Bug)

1974 Beetle engines

Engine	Rated	Offered in
1.6L / 97 flat-four 1600	46 hp net	Beetle Sedan, Super Beetle Sedan (curved windshield from 1973), Convertible (Super Beetle-based), US special editions (Sports Bug, Sun Bug, La Grande Bug)

1975 Beetle engines

Engine	Rated	Offered in
1.6L / 97 flat-four (AJ)	48 hp net	Beetle Sedan, Super Beetle Sedan (La Grande Bug), Convertible

1976 Beetle engines

Engine	Rated	Offered in
1.6L / 97 flat-four (AJ)	48 hp net	Beetle Sedan, Convertible

1977 Beetle engines

Engine	Rated	Offered in
1.6L / 97 flat-four (AJ)	48 hp net	Beetle Sedan, Convertible

1978 Beetle engines

Engine	Rated	Offered in
1.6L / 97 flat-four (AJ)	48 hp net	Convertible (the only Beetle sold in the US)

1979 Beetle engines

Engine	Rated	Offered in
1.6L / 97 flat-four (AJ)	48 hp net	Convertible (the only Beetle sold in the US)

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